Skylanders Imaginators Preview

Another year, another Skylanders game has been announced! Unlike Disney, who threw in the towel by discontinuing Infinity, Activision is going forward with a brand new installment in its toys-to-life category. Prior installments have seen giant toys, interchangeable pieces, traps, and even vehicles. This time around the hook is that you can create your own character in the game and save it to the Creation Crystal, which allows you to use it anytime you wish.

As you make your way through the game’s levels you’ll come across more parts to collect for the creation aspect of the game. I imagine some of the really cool pieces will be tucked away rather well. The Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions of the games have been shown, but no screens or packages of the Wii U version have materialized. This could be due to a special partnership with Nintendo again (like last year with Superchargers), which would mean special characters packaged with the game. If this is the case, I expect Activision will reveal more as we get closer to E3. They’ve announced the game will be on Wii U, so there must be some reason for the secrecy. We will update as the news is released.

Skylanders Imaginators is scheduled to release on the Wii U on October 16 in North America. Check out the full press release for more information:

Since the launch of Skylanders, kids around the world have sent Toys For Bob, the pioneers of the toys-to-life category, hand-drawn Skylanders with one special request – please bring my Skylander to life.This October, Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. will make that wish a reality. For the first time, Skylanders Imaginators will empower Portal Masters to unleash their imaginations by giving them the freedom to create their own Skylander.

“Since we launched the very first Skylanders game, we have received countless letters and drawings from kids all over the world sharing their vision for their own Skylanders. No matter how in touch with our ‘inner kids’ we might think we are as adults, nothing comes close to the endless creativity that springs from the mind of an inspired kid,” said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing, Inc. “We’ve turned this year’s game into the ultimate blank canvas for kids’ imaginations so they can create and play their own Skylanders.”

Skylanders Imaginators gives players immense possibilities — including appearance, powers, abilities, names, catchphrases, musical themes and much more — to create the wildest Skylanders imaginable. The amazing depth of the creation system could allow for more than a googol distinctive characters.

With the evil Kaos on a new quest to take over Skylands, it’s up to Portal Masters everywhere to create their own Skylanders – known as Imaginators – using the new elementally-aligned toy type called the Creation Crystal. Creation Crystals allow players to transport their Imaginators to consoles at anytime, anywhere!

Skylanders Imaginators introduces Skylanders Senseis, all-new heroes who represent 10 powerful Battle Classes such as Knight, Sorcerer, Bowslinger, Brawler and more. Skylanders Senseis help train created Imaginators by offering a range of benefits including unlocking super-cool Imaginator weapons, providing access to special areas in the game, as well as bestowing Secret Techniques across the Battle Classes. Senseis also have their own unique benefits including the extraordinary ability to unleash Sky-Chi – the ultimate Battle Class super move. There are a total of 31 Senseis, which include some fan-favorite villains who have been reformed and now fight for good!

“Skylanders consistently delivers on innovative gameplay experiences. With customization a dominant trend in the consumer market, the fact that Skylanders Imaginators will allow kids to bring their own creations to life is a game changer and one our customers will enjoy,” said Richard Barry, Global Chief Merchandising Officer, Toys”R”Us, Inc. “We are proud to continue to serve as a marquee Skylanders destination, and look forward to fans’ excitement when the new Skylanders Imaginators game arrives this holiday season.”

To celebrate imaginations coming to life, Activision is kicking off the “Skylanders Art-to-Life Contest.” Starting today, Portal Masters are invited to submit drawings of their own created Skylanders for a chance to have their characters represented in the Skylanders Imaginators game at launch! To participate, fans simply draw their imagined Skylander and submit it via Instagram or Twitter with the dedicated hashtag#SkylandersArtContest, or to us directly at SkylandersCommunity@Activision.com.

Starting today, fans can pre-order Skylanders Imaginators Starter Packs which include two new Skylanders characters, a Creation Crystal, Portal of Power and the full AAA game. Skylanders Imaginators will be available on Xbox 360 and Xbox One video game and entertainment systems from Microsoft, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 computer entertainment systems and Nintendo’s Wii U system.

Developed by Toys For Bob, Skylanders Imaginators supports all 300+ Skylanders toys from previous games. The game will be available on October 16 in North America for the suggested retail price of $74.99. For more information, fans can check out the debut of the Skylanders Snapchat channel or watch the story unfold here and here.

Craig has been covering the video game industry since 1995. His work has been published across a wide spectrum of media sites. He’s currently the Editor-In-Chief of Nintendo Times and contributes to Gaming Age.

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Craig Majaski

Craig has been covering the video game industry since 1995. His work has been published across a wide spectrum of media sites. He's currently the Editor-In-Chief of Nintendo Times and contributes to Gaming Age.